Once again,
I swallow my words,
The very moment I see her,
I could spill it,
If I wanted to,
But my conscience,
Gets the better of me,
I’m a victim of circumstance,
I’ve always been,
Why? I’ll never know.

All I can do,
Is grit my teeth,
In anger and frustration,
And live in a dream,
Of an alternate universe,
Where she and I,
Are one and together,
With no inhibition, no adversity.

She’s everything I ever wanted,
The epitome of beauty,
The epitome of kindness,
The epitome of humility,
The epitome of enthusiasm,
She injects life into my dead soul,
She breathes air into my collapsing lungs,
She floods inspiration into my prosaic mind,
She’s within reach each time,
But she never fails to slip away,
So close, yet so far.

I don’t wish this pain,
Even onto my worst enemy,
The altruistic agony
of being forced,
To swallow and consume,
My love and affection,
Each time it comes boiling out,
Layla, o my dear Layla,
Why? Why? Why?
Does the world have to treat us like this,
Come Layla,
Save me from this agony,
Please, I implore thee,
Yours sincerely,
Majnun

First published in Men Matters Online Journal, Issue 8, June 2024:
https://menmattersonlinejournal.com/issue-8-reuben-dass/